Ode to cooking
People believe that cooking is easy.
It is.
Well, at least most of the times.
The first and only rule: keep it simple and do things your mum and grandma cooked. Don't overd-do it; people will not appreciate much more what you have done and you will get tired and frustated.
Cooking is a great school:
It can be linked to precise ingredient lists and amounts; but most of the times it's not, so it forsters your creativity. Open your fridge and invent. Learn new techniques, new mixtures (if they fit with the first and only rule) and copy shamelessly.
It can be seen as a task to perform to feed people who are going to eat; but you can train them on the virtue of waiting and sharing their thoughts. Waiting for food enables exchange of thoughts; do not have everything ready for the time people are supposed to come. By the way, food being one of the greatest pleasures of life, remember that you will always find people who are fascinated by the different cooking techniques that you use. This is spontaneous sharing, and you will learn a lot of the culture your guests are coming from, sometimes more than going to the place they actually come from.
Cooking can be seen as an idiotic, mind-less task: but try to cook for 15 persons with different eating habits and allergies, and it becomes an incredibly enjoyable school for organization management.
And, most importantly, food is pleasure. EAT, DRINK, CHAT, ENJOY. As long as you are not starving, food is simply a pleasure.
It is.
Well, at least most of the times.
The first and only rule: keep it simple and do things your mum and grandma cooked. Don't overd-do it; people will not appreciate much more what you have done and you will get tired and frustated.
Cooking is a great school:
It can be linked to precise ingredient lists and amounts; but most of the times it's not, so it forsters your creativity. Open your fridge and invent. Learn new techniques, new mixtures (if they fit with the first and only rule) and copy shamelessly.
It can be seen as a task to perform to feed people who are going to eat; but you can train them on the virtue of waiting and sharing their thoughts. Waiting for food enables exchange of thoughts; do not have everything ready for the time people are supposed to come. By the way, food being one of the greatest pleasures of life, remember that you will always find people who are fascinated by the different cooking techniques that you use. This is spontaneous sharing, and you will learn a lot of the culture your guests are coming from, sometimes more than going to the place they actually come from.
Cooking can be seen as an idiotic, mind-less task: but try to cook for 15 persons with different eating habits and allergies, and it becomes an incredibly enjoyable school for organization management.
And, most importantly, food is pleasure. EAT, DRINK, CHAT, ENJOY. As long as you are not starving, food is simply a pleasure.
posted by alba at
9:56 PM
2 Comments:
This is simply a beautiful sentiment. I just wanted to say thanks for posting it.
By
Jerry, at 3:07 PM
Thanks Jerry, appreciate the comment. I also feel very relieved by the fact that someone finds beautiful something that I wrote when I am completely drunk (so much that I was surprised when I opened the blog and saw this). I would assume that I felt very inspired when I wrote this; a bit less then next morning having to go to work with what felt like a veeeeery upset cat in my stomach and the whole house smelling of fried eggplants. But, hey, they were good:-)
By
alba, at 9:04 PM
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